Flight crew distraction smoke in cockpit. Emergency declared landing.

Attributes
ACN	202023
Time
Date	199202
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : ama
State Reference	TX
Altitude	msl bound lower : 37000 msl bound upper : 37000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zab
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	cruise other descent other other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 500
ASRS Report	202023
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 5500 flight time type : 1800
ASRS Report	202532
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Approximately 100 mi west of amarillo, tx (ama) at 37000 ft, the cockpit started filling with smoke. The generator control unit (gcu) area above the circuit breaker panel behind the first officer was determined to be the source of the smoke. All 3 gcu circuit breakers were pulled, an emergency was declared followed by a precautionary descent on standby electrical power to an unscheduled landing at ama. The smoke ceased on final approach, a normal landing was made and the passenger were deplaned normally out of the forward entry door. The #1 gcu at location G3 was determined to be at fault.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC DISTR SMOKE IN COCKPIT. EMER DECLARED LNDG.

Narrative: APPROX 100 MI W OF AMARILLO, TX (AMA) AT 37000 FT, THE COCKPIT STARTED FILLING WITH SMOKE. THE GENERATOR CTL UNIT (GCU) AREA ABOVE THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL BEHIND THE FO WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE. ALL 3 GCU CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE PULLED, AN EMER WAS DECLARED FOLLOWED BY A PRECAUTIONARY DSCNT ON STANDBY ELECTRICAL PWR TO AN UNSCHEDULED LNDG AT AMA. THE SMOKE CEASED ON FINAL APCH, A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE AND THE PAX WERE DEPLANED NORMALLY OUT OF THE FORWARD ENTRY DOOR. THE #1 GCU AT LOCATION G3 WAS DETERMINED TO BE AT FAULT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.